A new project in Stockton-on-Tees walks some of the town’s most vulnerable residents through the places, where they can get help and support.
Refugee Futures organises twice-monthly walks for refugees and asylum seekers, led by staff and volunteers.
Walks show people, who are newly-arrived in Stockton, where they can get a wide range of help and support when they need it.
Now with £14,855-worth of funding from Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Matt Storey, through his Protect and Support Fund, the focus has shifted to safety with a spotlight on how to report hate crime.
Participants are shown how to register for Cleveland Connected – which gives the public regular updates from Cleveland Police, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and reporting app COPA.
A member of the Neighbourhood Policing Team often joins walkers. The officer will talk to them about policing locally.
Interactive briefing sessions
Walks are designed as interactive briefing sessions based around a Welcome to Stockton map. They explain the services available and key locations – including hate crime reporting centres.
In addition to regular walks, grant funding supports bi-monthly question and answer (Q&A) sessions between the community and Cleveland Police. It also funds Living in the UK workshops.
Focus groups have highlighted that people seeking asylum are keen to interact more with the police. Sessions include awareness of cyber security and scams.
Members of the Regional Refugee Forum and the North East Migration Partnership developed the Living in the UK workshops. That was after members of the community said they wanted to know more about UK laws.
Workshops look at staying safe, UK laws, parenting, health, and support available locally.
Thanks to the funding, sessions can now be delivered in key community languages including Tigrinya, Vietnamese and Kurdish Sorani.
Matt recently met with some of Stockton’s newest residents before they set off on a walk from Yarm Road to the central library close to the high street.
He said: “It was fantastic to join one of the orientation walks organised by Refugee Futures. The walks don’t just introduce people to a place, they build confidence, connection and trust within the community. It’s inspiring to see such meaningful work making a real difference to people starting anew and I am proud to be able to support those efforts.”
Stockton has one of the highest rates of dispersal by the Home Office. Between 700 and 900 people seeking asylum are placed in Central Stockton, Newtown and Thornaby wards at any one time. The wards are among the 10% most deprived in the UK.
Funding from the PCC’s Protect and Support Fund lasts for 12 months. About 480 people are expected to attend supported projects during that time.